


What I Had To Do

by gold_pen_leaps



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst, Espionage, Frostiron Gift Exchange 2017, M/M, Shippy Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-15 19:24:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13037787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gold_pen_leaps/pseuds/gold_pen_leaps
Summary: Their excursions in and outside of the city are fun, albeit dangerous.He had thought that Loki was finally trusting him enough to bringhimsomewhere.





	What I Had To Do

**Author's Note:**

  * For [purpose_miner](https://archiveofourown.org/users/purpose_miner/gifts).



> purpose_miner wanted angst, and I did my best to deliver. I hope you enjoy this weird AU that bloomed in my brain. [Insert lame reference related to sparkly skin here]
> 
> I'd love to talk about the world I imagined, but I'll likely leave this where it is. If any writers want to remix this, don't be shy.
> 
> Thanks to Asgardian Liesmith for betaing!

Finally, Loki had invited him someplace. And yet, just as always, Tony was the one who was waiting. He had expected that finding the location would be difficult, but he just ended up being early.

It was the remains of a house, just outside the edge of the city. The roof had caved in and the forest was midway through claiming it for its own. He hadn't been sure whether he was supposed to enter the spooky house. He liked looking at old buildings, but this one looked like it was on the verge of collapsing.

Hearing movement through the brush, Tony turned to greet Loki.  
When he saw what Loki was holding, he tensed. It was that damn ID card Fury had given him.

“I can explain,” Tony said. Loki scoffed, the too-blank expression he had worn breaking into one of derision, making Tony shift his stance.

Loki stopped a fair distance away. It wasn't far enough that he couldn't rush the mortal, but Tony was trained and Loki was allowing him the illusion of safety. But maybe this wouldn't end up a battle, if Loki was giving him that much.

“Explain? Explain how you meant to kill my family?” Loki was still mad, though.

“No, not kill, just-”

“Spy on us so that you could murder us?”

“Loki-”

“I know what SHIELD is. It's a hate organization.”

Shit. This could turn bad really fast. Tony held up his hands in a calming gesture and spoke quickly. “I- Listen, SHIELD has done some horrible stuff in the past. I know that. That's why I'm an independent contractor. You read the card.” He nodded at the ID. “But they’ve changed leaders, and I'm certain we're close to finding a way to fix this, once and for all.”

His eyes narrowed. “...Fix what?”

Oh jeez. “I'm telling you. SHIELD isn't about genetic purity or whatever. I think that's shit too, in case you were wondering.” He decided against telling Loki about Red Skull’s infiltration. It was too complicated, and a cop out, in all honesty. In the end, SHIELD had been about ‘keeping the human race human’ for a while.

Loki nodded. “Go on. What are you fixing?”

“I'm not supposed to-” He hesitated. Loki was smart, and the cat was out of the bag. “Okay, fine. We've found a way to solve the food problem.”

Loki scoffed again. “The ‘food problem’, as you call it, is solved.”

“Is it, though? You’ve said it yourself. People keep getting turned, accidentally or not so accidentally. At this rate, there'll be no humans left.”

“I am human.”

He rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean. People say ‘vampires’ and ‘humans’ all the time. I know you can't turn into a bat.”

A smile flickered on Loki’s face.

“Listen,” Tony said, “We've found a cure.”

His expression shuttered. “You don't want my kind to exist,” he said.

Tony frowned. “No? I just want turning to be reversible. I don't want to hurt you. I mean it.”

Loki paused, like he was thinking. He nodded. “I believe you.”

“You do?” It was so hard to tell what Loki was thinking. His expression was blank, almost nonchalant, but Tony knew that that look could be a mask for a variety of emotions. “Thank you.”

“I’m not done. I believe you think you’re doing the right thing. It's SHIELD who doesn't want us to exist.”

“No…”

“They're using you to get what they want, like you used me to get information.”

Tony flinched.

Like a baseball headed straight to the face, small and then up close and ugly, Loki’s anger was getting visible. “How clever of you. Find a member of the Royal Family. Sweep him off to places he has never been! Make him spill royal secrets.”

“I didn't know who you were!”

“Then why'd you keep asking me to talk about myself?”

“I talked to you more often than I should have. That's not all on me! I could have blown my cover. You kept coming back. At some point I decided to enjoy being around you.”

“You manipulated me. You shouldn't have talked to me in the first place.”

Tony ran a hand through his hair. His throat felt tight. “Was none of it real to you?”

“I should be asking that!” he snapped.

“Look, I did what I had to, but-”

“You didn't have to do any of this.”

“I didn't lie about my interest in you. I lied about a ton of stuff, yeah. But I swear, I didn't lie about that.” 

Loki turned away.

“Loki, please.” He hated how sad that phrase sounded, but he had to say it. Loki had to see that he meant it.

“Don't talk to me again, Stark,” he said and left. Tony couldn't follow because he had used his superior speed. It was like he had vanished.


End file.
